Railroad-gate



M. J. N. SCHNEIDER. RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION FILED APR.3. 1916.

1 ,329,022, Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

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M. J. N. SCHNEIDER. RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. 1916.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- k MICHAEL J. N. SCHNEIDER, OF BLACK RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN.

RAILROAD-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920.

Application filed April 3, 1816. Serial No. 88,808.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL J. N. Sorrnrrnnn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Black niver Falls, in the county of Jackson and State of 'Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Gates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in gate structures and is more particularly directed to the provision of a gate structure adapted for use in connection with railroad crossings.

In rural districts it is necessary to provide some means for preventing cattle or other live stock from straying onto the right of way of the railroad when the common traffic road which traverses the railroad is normall 1 open for passage, and in providing a gate means for the usual purpose of closing the said common road-way upon passage of a train thereacross, it is the object of this present invention to utilize this gate means also as a means for closing the railroad right of way at the sides of the common road when the said road is normally open for passage.

It is further an object of the invention to provide in a structure as above described and including a plurality of gate members, means whereby all of the gate members may be operated simultaneously from a single source of power.

It is still further an object of the invention to provide an electric operating means for the gate structure heretofore described whereby the passage of a train past the said gate structure may automatically provide for a proper operation of the gate mechanism to a position closing the common road upon approach of a train thereto and operation of the mechanism back again.

A further object resides in the provision of a gate structure having its parts so arranged that their swinging movements will not be materially interrupted by obstacles there adjacent such as might be caused for instance, by drifted snow.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, arrangement and formation of parts more particularly hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the crossing of a railroad crossing showing the improved gate structure associated therewith and having its parts in relative positio closing the railroad right of way with respect to the common road way.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a pair of gate members showing the hinged relation of the lower portions thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism for simultaneously operating all of the gate members.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, at each corner of the crossing of the railroad right of way with the ordinary road, there is provided an upstanding gate post 5 which is rotatably carried by a housing 6, a pair of these housings being connected by a sleeve 7 and these housings being connected with the other housings by similar sleeves 8, thus forming a casing substantially U-shaped in plan, and this casing is preferably embedded in the ground and serves to house the connecting drive means for rotating the various gate posts, this drive means comprising shafts 9 extending through each of the sleeves and carrying at their ends beveled gears 10 which mesh with beveled gears 11 fixed on the gate post within the respective housings 6. One of the housings connected with the intermediate sleeve 7 is enlarged for the reception of an electric motor 12 and the shaft 9 disposed within the sleeve 7 is provided with a suitable gear 13 whereby this shaft is driven by the motor.

Thus all of the gate posts may be simultaneously actuated upon operation of the motor and it is noted that the arrangement of gears is such that operation of the motor in either direction will rotate diagonally opposite gate posts in opposite directions whereby the gates carried thereby will simultaneously move to close either the common road way with respect to the railway or the railway with respect to the common road way.

The gate bodies carried by these posts comprise bars 14 which project laterally and substantially horizontally from intermediate portions of the post and which are connected at their outer ends therewith by brace strips 15 extending diagonally from the upper portions of the posts. Chain sections 16 depend from the ends of each bar 14: and carry lower gate bars 17 whereby a gate structure is provided which efficiently prevents the and wherein, obstacle such passage of animals therepast, should the gate encounter any as a snow bank or the like, the bars 17 may swing to drag thereover, and thus permit the operation of the gate. In fact the chains 16 provide universally flexible connecting members between the upper bars 14 and the lower bars 17 so that the latter are movable laterally in every direction and parallel to the former and also so movable that either or both ends may be disposed in contact with the upper bars 14.

I claim:

A gate structure including a journally mounted upright post, a horizontally eX- tending fixed supporting bar projecting from the post at a point spaced from its lower end, means for revolving the post to swing said bar in a horizontal plane, relatively long connecting members depending upon the opposite ends of said bar, said connecting members being flexible in every direction, and a second bar carried by the ends of the flexible connecting members and normally spaced from and disposed substantially parallel to the supporting bar, said second ba being movable on the flexible connecting members laterally in every direction and parallel to the supporting bar, and also movable toward the latter bar to dispose either or both ends in contact therewith.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Black River Falls, in the county of Jackson and State of Wisconsin, in the MICHAEL J. N. SCHNEIDER.

vVitnesses FRANK JoHNsoN, ESTHER LANNING.

presence of two witnesses. 35 

